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Over the past several weeks, no single player had been linked to Tottenham Hotspur more than Bournemouth star winger Antoine Semenyo. But as many Spurs supporters had feared, it did not take long for the childhood Arsenal fan to outright reject Spurs overtures, even considering that the Gunners themselves were not really at all interested in the Ghanaian breakout star.

Tottenham took a back seat to Liverpool, Manchester United, and Manchester City in the Semenyo transfer battle before ceding defeat recently. And shortly after Spurs pulled out of the Semenyo race, Manchester City have seemingly won the signature of the second best player in the Premier League this season behind only Man City superstar striker Erling Haaland.

Semenyo officially joining Manchester City would be music to Tottenham's ears, because Spurs fans are hoping they can sign one of the star forwards from the Citizens who could potentially move to the open market with Semenyo secured.

Tottenham fans have a clear target now

And no single player piques Spurs fans interest more than Savinho. The former Girona man had a nice first season at the Etihad in 2024/25, and while he started the 2025/26 campaign very poorly, he has shown signs of rebirth in recent weeks, specifically in a scintillating substitute appearance against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

According to La Liga transfer expert Eduardo Burgos of Diario AS, Antoine Semenyo is indeed "one step away" from leaving Bournemouth for Manchester City as the January 2026 transfer window looms. Burgos goes on to state that Semenyo has "made it clear" he wants Man City. And with that transfer secured, Savinho "could leave" now.

That report from Burgos is subtle confirmation of what Tottenham Hotspur supporters have been hoping for. Semenyo basically clears the way for Savinho, whom Spurs wanted to sign in August, to join the Lilywhites this winter.

Savinho will be about the same, if not a little more, as Semenyo in terms of price, but since Tottenham were flatly rejected by Semenyo, this is a case of beggars can not be choosers. And while Semenyo had more goals and the better performances this season, Savinho was even better in La Liga on Girona a couple of years ago and has more athleticism, explosiveness, and upside, though he is not quite the right footed goal scoring left winger Spurs are dreaming to complete their attack. In an ideal world, Spurs would combine Savinho with that left winger, but, alas, Savinho alone may be all there is.

For the most part, Tottenham Hotspur supporters are thinking about which players could be joining their beloved club in the January transfer window, because even though Antoine Semenyo is no longer on the table and increasingly closer to Manchester City, the Citizens have a few dream targets for Spurs attack.

At the same time, Spurs are going to be just as busy trying to sell off some of the players they could not in the preceding summer transfer window. Yves Bissouma is the obvious name to leave the N17 this winter, but there are others, still, who could make their exit.

One of those players is the talented Radu Dragusin. The former Juventus prospect joined Spurs in a winter window not too long ago after shining for Genoa, but he never really fit Ange Postecoglou's playing style and was often left exposed defensively by the all out setup.

Tottenham may not give him a chance

Perhaps things could be different for Dragusin under Thomas Frank, but it is hard to see him even getting a chance. Dragusin is only just starting to recover from an injury, and, already, Serie A clubs are circling for a reunion in January.

According to a new report from transfer expert Mirko Di Natale of Tutto Juve, AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Napoli have all inquired to Tottenham Hotspur about a potential Radu Dragusin transfer this January. Juventus may also be interested in a reunion, too, but that would depend on whether or not they are able to sell a defender.

Per Di Natale, Tottenham are interested in selling the young center back, and they would be willing to part ways with Dragusin for a transfer fee of about 30 million pounds. They would also be open to selling off Dragusin on a loan deal with an option to buy.

Dragusin was much better in Serie A than the Premier League and probably fits that league better. Now, he could be a success for Spurs, but there is not really a spot for him. Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero are two of the best center backs on this entire planet and do not cede starts easily. Behind them, Kevin Danso is a starting caliber center back. And then Spurs went out and signed Kota Takai at the position this summer, too. With Luka Vuskovic shining on loan at Hamburg this season and ready for the Spurs first team in 2026/27, Dragusin has no place.

Tottenham Hotspur are back on another losing streak, and as they sit buried 14th in the Premier League table heading into Christmas, Spurs supporters can only help but wonder if the club are somehow in an even worse position now this season under Thomas Frank than they were last season despite a surprising flurry of summer activity.

The injury woes have not helped matters, though, and it is easy to forget that Tottenham are still without three key attacking players. James Maddison is out with a torn ACL that will keep him on the sidelines until the very end of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign.

Meanwhile, the prolonged absences of right winger Dejan Kulusevski and striker Dominic Solanke are even bigger sources of frustration. Spurs would have expected to have both star players back by now. Kulu is out with a lingering knee injury he sustained at the end of the last season, and there is no clarity on his return time table.

Thomas Frank is being annoying again

Solanke's injury news is even more difficult to come by. The man has only appeared in three games off the bench this entire campaign due to a recurring foot injury that required surgery, but since the operation, Frank has been tight lipped with zero concrete updates for fans to sink their teeth into.

At a mid week press conference with local rivals Crystal Palace on the horizon after Christmas, Thomas Frank told Tottenham Hotspur supporters that he still has no time table for a return for either Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski when specifically asked by reporters if there were any fresh updates on the pair.

Frank doubled down on his spree non updates by saying, via The Spurs Web, "Same as I said before. Both of them, I will be very happy when I can announce now they are part of the squad. That’s where it is."

"That's where it is" basically is a whole lot of nothing, but that figures. Frank has offered a lot of condescension and general unhelpfulness in press conferences, and the Solanke and Kulusevski injury news updates are a running gag at this point. And it's all only funny when the coach doing this sort of thing is someone like Bill Belichick back in the day for the NFL's New England Patriots. But if your coach is not winning like Belichick, it is annoying, because, let's face it, Frank being this tight lipped is not proferring any sort of competitive advantage to Spurs.

Antoine Semenyo was the preferred transfer target for Tottenham Hotspur going into the January transfer market, but it does not matter how much Spurs want a player if that player has zero interest in joining the club.

As many Spurs supporters had already suspected, it appears Semenyo has no intention of playing for the North London club that rivals his childhood fandom for Arsenal. But instead of having the rug pulled out from under them at the last second, Spurs now know well before the market opens that they do not stand a chance at signing Semenyo against Manchester United, Liverpool, and Manchester City.

The search for alternatives probably will not be a length one, though. Tottenham were already taking long looks at Savinho from Manchester City before the last summer transfer window closed, though Savinho was not available at that time since Man City were reluctant to give up winger depth with Rodrygo Goes unwilling to join them from Real Madrid.

The cost will be eye watering for Tottenham

But if Semenyo goes to Man City, Savinho would be readily available. Omar Marmoush is another potential option Tottenham fans have been hoping for as a goal scoring winger, but when asked about the Egyptian star's availability, top Tottenham transfer journalist Paul O Keefe simply stated that Savinho is the one to watch "more" of the Manchester City star forwards.

That makes sense, and Spurs supporters would be prepared for that. But maybe some fans won't be prepared for the other thing O Keefe said. Later on in the thread, the reporter was asked about the likely cost to purchase the Brazilian standout, and he stated that it would likely take a bid of around 70 million pounds to sway the Citizens.

While that is pretty much around the figure that was thrown about during the summer, it is still a bit jarring to see that Savinho, who barely starts for Manchester City right now, will be more expensive than Antoine Semenyo this winter. Sure, Semenyo plays for the smaller club in Bournemouth and has a set release clause, but, still, he's been a legitimate Premier League Player of the Season candidate whereas Savinho has been pretty awful in the league.

There is also the matter that Savinho is a dynamic left footer who is not known for his goal scoring and plays better on the right than the left. He can actually play at a high level on the left as a true touchline winger, but then that's not how Tottenham will play at their best with a more well rounded striker like Randal Kolo Muani in the middle and Mohammed Kudus already having both the wide playmaker and right footed left winger roles down pat. So Savinho will be costlier than Semenyo and a less ideal fit, but, well, since Semenyo does not want to join, Spurs are the beggers and not the choosers here.

Tottenham Hotspur supporters are used to getting bullied on the transfer market by the other Big Six club for elite targets. This past summer window, Arsenal beat them to both Eberechi Eze and even the unheralded Brentford defensive midfielder Christian Norgaard, while Manchester United pipped them to the real Brentford prize in right winger Bryan Mbeumo.

Now this coming winter transfer window, Tottenham have seemingly already lost out on the Antoine Semenyo sweepstakes before the January market even officially opened. Semenyo has already rejected Spurs with Liverpool, Manchester City, and Manchester United all interested in one of the best players of the 2025/26 Premier League season thus far.

So that means Man United have beaten Tottenham to Mbeumo and potentially Semenyo this year, and in 2026, they could take another winger off the table for Spurs, which is actually a bigger threat to Tottenham if Man United don't get their hands on Semenyo.

Tottenham can't lose out on him, too

According to veteran Spurs journalist Paul O Keefe, while Manchester United do appreciate Antoine Semenyo "a lot", he warns fans to "watch them" in the sweepstakes for RB Leipzig sensation Yan Diomande, who looks to have even more upside than Tottenham Hotspur summer signing Xavi Simons from the same club. O Keefe added in a later tweet that Man United "like him a lot", in reference to Diomande.

The 19 year old Ivory Coast winger is becoming a mainstay in the Leipzig lineup this season, and he has already lit up the Bundesliga with 6 goals in 10 starts, including a recent hat trick in a 6-0 blowout of Eintracht Frankfurt that got the whole footballing world buzzing.

It is still very early to anoint Diomande as anything, but his eye for goal and insane acceleration already have top Premier League clubs placing him near the top of their wishlist of prospects. Since Spurs are having a tough time signing established Premier League stars like Mbeumo and Semenyo, the less heralded folks like Mohammed Kudus, Simons, and now Diomande could be more up their alley.

Spurs have had great success going after prospects. Luka Vuskovic, Archie Gray, and Lucas Bergvall are all very young players on their books who already look like future world class superstars. Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel have shown promise, too. Diomande could be next on this list, but Tottenham now have to be wary of Manchester United yet again. Losing out on Diomande to them on top of the others would be a real travesty.

This past summer transfer window, Tottenham Hotspur were stonewalled twice on the transfer market by arch rivals Arsenal. First, the Gunners plucked Thomas Frank's coach on the field, defensive midfielder Christian Norgaard, right from under their noses. But the most infamous move was Arsenal's last minute transfer for attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze.

The hero of the 2024/25 season for Crystal Palace after budding superstar Michael Olise's departure to join Harry Kane and Bayern Munich, Eze fired Palace to the FA Cup. He buoyed that into a big money move in the summer transfer window, and everyone seemed to think, including the world's biggest transfer reporters like Fabrizio Romano, that Eze to Tottenham was imminent.

At the last second, though, the boyhood Arsenal fan chose the Gunners, leaving Spurs in the dust. Tottenham eventually recovered to sign Xavi Simons, but the Dutchman did not even feature on the pitch when Eze sunk Spurs with a hat trick in an emabarrassing 4-1 defeat. Forget that Eze has done nothing else all season long for Arsenal; the way he humiliated Spurs not once but twice has been enough for many of the Gunners faithful as their club still sits first in the Premier League.

Tottenham fans have always been skeptical

So when Tottenham Hotspur started to show interest in another Premier League star who grew up idolizing Arsenal in Antoine Semenyo, many fans were immediately skeptical. Regardless of the fact that Semenyo has been a monster this season and a legitimate Premier League Player of the Season candidate alongside Erling Haaland, many Tottenham fans did not want to see the club go after another player who idolized Arsenal just to have the rug pulled out from them because they never intended on being a Spur in the first place.

Even after Arsenal said "no thanks" to Semenyo, Tottenham fans remained skeptical. So now that it has become obvious that Semenyo has no intention of joining Tottenham with Liverpool, Manchester United, and Manchester City being the only real contenders left in the transfer race, Spurs fans are honestly more relieved than peeved at this point.

Because the prevailing belief was that while Semenyo is a great player who can potentially help Tottenham, Spurs were never going to pay the wages of the other clubs and do not carry the same cachet as the others either. Semenyo was always going to pick someone else, including his Arsenal affinity. Therefore, Spurs would have wasted their time and resources on another doomed target, potentially missing out on someone else. So instead of being Eze'd again, Spurs know before the winter window opens to look elsewhere, perhaps to Omar Marmoush or Savinho at the Etihad.

For weeks, Tottenham Hotspur were eyeing a big money move for star winger Antoine Semenyo, who was already one of the best players in his position in the Premier League last season but has now kicked up his performances a notch to become a Premier League Player of the Season contender behind arguably only Erling Haaland.

With a 65 million pound release clause active at the beginning of January, Semenyo is, by far, the most coveted player in the Big Six this coming winter transfer window. Tottenham were initially labeled as one of the top contenders for him, but, now, it looks like they have already been rejected and Manchester United, Manchester City, and Liverpool are the three favorites to bag the Bournemouth star.

But the thing is, Semenyo's transfer still has big time ramifications for Spurs, even if he is going anywhere but Tottenham. For starters, if Semenyo goes to Manchester City, either Savinho or Omar Marmoush could become available as the blockbuster new winger signing for Spurs.

Tottenham still have to care about Antoine Semenyo

Even if Semenyo goes to Manchester United or Liverpool, the transfer still matters to Tottenham Hotspur. That's because Antoine Semenyo's abrupt exit from Bournemouth will mean that the Cherries have to sign someone on the left wing to replace him, and perhaps they will look to Spurs for a solution.

Young standouts Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel have the potential to be truly special players in the Premier League, and they should honestly be playing more than they are right now. But if Thomas Frank is not going to develop them and give them enough minutes, Spurs could try to send one of them out on loan to get that experience.

Bournemouth need a left winger, and either Tel or Odobert could interest them as a quick Semenyo fix for the final months of the season. Normally, clubs like Bournemouth prefer to buy and develop their own players than do the same for another Premier League club, and maybe more importantly, Tottenham are a mid table team right now competing with Bournemouth and could bristle at the thought of making Bournemouth - a team that already embarrassed Spurs this season - even better.

The thing is, it is a distinct possibility worth pondering. Tel is probably more valuable to Tottenham right now, but he is also probably more coveted by Bournemouth as a better replacement for Semenyo than Odobert. While the chances of this kind of loan deal happening are low, they are plausible, and Tottenham fans should keep an eye on any transfer rumors regarding this.

Tottenham Hotspur supporters have already witnessed a sea of changes this year. After winning the Europa League, Spurs fired Ange Postecoglou for finishing 17th in the Premier League. And after one of their most active summer transfer periods in recent memory, Spurs also gave Daniel Levy the boot after years of stingy spending and underperformance relative to the rest of the Big Six.

So far, Tottenham have not seen any of the fruits of this actions born. They have been atrocious in the Premier League under Thomas Frank, and all signs point to another transfer window of empty promises to the supporters despite the encouraging summer; Antoine Semenyo, for example, is already entirely off the table before January has arrived, let alone Christmas.

And to compound matters, the most competent member of the front office appears to be bolting. Perhaps it says something about how far Tottenham have fallen that executive Fabio Paratici is flirting with a move to Fiorentina, the literal worst team in Serie A this season.

Tottenham could be in crisis

Every big transfer reporter is calling it a close move, including Fabrizio Romano, and now the other titan of Italian football journalism, Gianluca Di Marzio, is saying the same. Per Di Marzio, Fiorentina boss Rocco Commisso and Fabio Paratici are in "advanced talks", and the Tottenham Hotspur man is "increasingly close" to a move to Florence. Di Marzio says that "everything points" to a switch being completed, and Tottenham themselves will come to an official decision in the coming "few days".

The deal is set to be a 4.5 year contract that would make Paratici the center of an ambitious rebuild. Fiorentina were one of the biggest risers in European football last season, coaxing breakout seasons out of players like Moise Kean and Dodo. This season, they have been the polar opposite and an embarrassment, ruing the appointment of former Serie A title winning AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli, who was coaching in Saudi Arabia before moving back to Italian football.

Tottenham without Paratici is a definite cause for concern for Spurs supporters, because it leaves the underwhelming Johan Lange as the main executive voice in terms of club decisions in the transfer market. Lange has a mixed track record, whereas Paratici has a proven one and helped build the nucleus responsible for the Europa League triumph. Worse yet, the imminent Paratici departure seems to hint at an overarching aura of dysfunction at the N17.

Tottenham Hotspur, speaking overall, did enjoy a productive summer 2025 transfer window. They made Mathys Tel's loan from Bayern Munich permanent, added Joao Palhinha on loan from the Bavarian giants, bagged striker Randal Kolo Muani on loan on transfer deadline day from Champions League winners PSG (though he played for Juventus during that time), and had both Xavi Simon and Mohammed Kudus as crown jewel signings of the period.

The thing is, though, Tottenham's list of transfers they missed out on, once again, was even better than the players they signed. They failed to bring in Savinho near the end of the window from Manchester City, and they also lost out on marquee Man City signing Rayan Cherki at the beginning of the window.

Both Eberechi Eze and Christian Norgaard rejected Spurs for rivals Arsenal. Yoane Wissa spurned Thomas Frank to sign up with Newcastle United. Bryan Mbeumo did the same, penning a contract with Europa League Final rivals Manchester United. And Morgan Gibbs-White pulled the rug out from under Tottenham by signing a contract extension with Nottingham Forest after owner Evangelos Marinakis threw a tantrum when Spurs activated his hidden release clause.

Tottenham's regret will haunt them

But if you ask many Spurs fans, the transfer they regret not making the most was Morgan Rogers, who would have completed their ailing attack perfectly as a proven source of progression, creation, and even goal scoring from that left flank, as well as playing other positions.

Well, Rogers only made the Tottenham transfer regret even stronger on Sunday with a game winning performance against Manchester United - the same team Spurs could not beat this season. Aston Villa won 2-1 behind Rogers's two goals, and his first goal was completely out of nowhere with a beautiful touch, dribble around Leny Yoro, and a curled finished that left the Man United keeper rooted to the spot. Arjen Robben would be proud.

Rogers did have an awful start to the season, but he has redeemed himself since, and this one performance against Manchester United both epitomizes his game changing ability and was far beyond anything any Spurs attacker (aside from Kolo Muani against PSG) has produced in an individual display this season.

Tottenham are going to be back in for Savinho this January transfer window after Antoine Semenyo apparently turned them down, but you have to wonder if Spurs fans will try to push the club to finally make a real effort for Rogers.

Tottenham is having yet another disastrous season. It was the same last campaign, but there was at least light at the end of the tunnel with that Europa League win in sight.

Unlike Ange Postecoglou, though, there is no silver lining for Thomas Frank. It feels like the Dane is coaching on borrowed time, and it would be a miracle if he made it far into the new year, let alone the end of the season.

Look, coaches should always be given time. That's simply the bare minimum. However, plenty of time has already been given to Thomas Frank, and the higher a club's ambitions, the less time new coaches are given before a decision needs to be made.

Arsenal legend throws a not-so-subtle dig at Thomas Frank

Speaking to Sky Sports, Paul Merson took a scathing jab at Thomas Frank, but it's seriously difficult to criticize the former Arsenal defender.

In his own words, Merson said: "Thomas Frank earned his strips at Brentford, he’s taken that step up but I don’t think he’s read the script... For example, telling the Tottenham fans they’re not real fans, you can’t do that. I’m not a Tottenham man but those fans are loyal, they turn up every week 60 thousand of them, they don’t see great football every week, and they keep turning up."

"These fans pay a lot of money to see Spurs play, you take your 2 kids, get a drink, a burger and a program and you’re paying a lot of money. They’re allowed to voice their opinion if it’s not going well."

"All Tottenham fans ask is to be brave, work hard and be brave. I’ll give Maddison his due, he’s one of them, gives it away a lot but doesn’t shy from the ball, and I think it’s bang out of order what Thomas Frank has been saying, so I can see why Spurs fans haven’t taken to him."

Weirdly, Tottenham fans agree with Paul Merson

Look, you'll rarely find Paul Merson saying anything positive about Tottenham. That's important context to take into account whenever he voices a Spurs take.

However, that context aside, where's the lie?

Paul Merson is only voicing what every Tottenham fan already knows about Thomas Frank, and if anything, he's been lenient on the Tottenham gaffer. On a different day, he would have been justified to say 10x worse things. Tottenham fans already have.

Thomas Frank is like a bull in a China shop right now. Not only tactically speaking, but his mannerisms don't help at all. Tottenham fans might overlook the poor performances, but his collateral damage in post-match interviews is just not it.

He persistently throws players under the bus, takes the blame away from himself, and acts in manners that break every unspoken rule in the book. There is no way a manager should ever clap the home fans after a loss. Especially the fans that he called fake not so long ago.

It might be painful to hear a former Arsenal player voice Tottenham fans' concerns, but that's where the club is at right now.